In the prior art, it is known to provide a Bowden cable system for unlatching a vehicle door from within the vehicle. Typically, the cable system includes a flexible cable with one end thereof connected with a spring biased manually operable releasing assembly and is tensioned in response to outward movement of a manually engageable portion or door handle of the manually operable releasing assembly extending outwardly of the interior door panel. Another end of the cable is connected with a door latching mechanism carried by the door to latch and unlatch the door structure with a door opening catch. Manually moving the door handle against the spring bias of the releasing assembly translates into movement of the latching mechanism through tensioning of the cable into unlatched relation with the door opening catch. Subsequent release of the interior door handle causes a spring-biased return of the releasing assembly to its normal inoperative position and, through compression of the flexible cable, movement of the latching mechanism into a position or condition wherein it can re-latch with the door opening catch when the door is closed.
Typically, the cable extends through a flexible sheath that protects and guides the cable during tensioning or compression thereof. Each end of the flexible sheath terminates in a rigid tubular bushing fixed thereto, with the tubular bushing at the releasing assembly end being secured to a handle support, which is in turn secured to the vehicle door.
A problem associated with such assemblies is caused by the repeated periodic tensioning and compression of the flexible cable. More specifically, when the cable is tensioned by moving the interior door handle against the spring-bias of the releasing assembly and is then suddenly compressed by release of the handle, the cable may kink or buckle at a position between the portion at which it is connected with the handle and the rigid cable bushing. The problem may be exacerbated in the winter, when ice may accumulate between the cable and the bushing or sheath. That is, when the cable is tensioned, ice may be drawn into the sheath/bushing at the latching mechanism end of the cable and thereby lock that end of the cable in place. When the handle is subsequently released, the spring biased force of the releasing assembly moves an inner portion of the handle, to which the cable is fixed, towards the rigid tubular bushing and may cause buckling of the cable between the inner portion of the handle and the bushing. Such kinking or buckling of the cable may result in permanent crimping and damage to the cable.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to alleviate the problem described above in an efficient and cost effective manner. This object is accomplished by providing a vehicle door latch assembly for latching and unlatching a door structure including a frame supporting an exterior skin and interior panel with respect to a vehicle door opening catch. The door latch assembly includes a latching mechanism carried by the door structure constructed and arranged to move between an unlatched relation with the door opening catch and a latched relation with the door opening catch, the latching mechanism including a movable releasing component and a latch, the movable releasing component being movable between a first and second position, the latch being constructed and arranged i) to be in a latching position when the latching mechanism is in latched relation with the door opening catch, and ii) to be moved from the latching position into a releasing position in response to movement of the movable releasing component from the first position to the second position so that the latching mechanism is moved into unlatched relation with the door opening catch, a manually operable releasing assembly mounted on the door frame for resiliently biased movement into an inoperative position, the releasing assembly having a manually engageable component disposed outwardly of the interior panel, the manually engageable component constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and moved to move the releasing assembly against the resilient bias thereof from the inoperative position thereof into an operative position so that upon manual release of the manually engageable component the resilient bias will return the releasing assembly into the inoperative position thereof, a flexible cable having one end connected with the manually operable releasing assembly and a spaced portion connected with the movable releasing component so as to transmit (1) the movement of the manually operable releasing assembly from its inoperative position into its operative position through tension in the flexible cable into movement of the releasing component from its first position to its second position so that the latch, when in its latching position, is moved into its releasing position, and (2) the movement of the manually operable releasing assembly from its operative position to its inoperative position through compression in the flexible cable into movement of the releasing component from its second position to its first position, and a cable-controlling assembly operatively associated with an end portion of the flexible cable adjacent the one end having a length at least as great as the extent of movement of the one end when the moving component is moved between the inoperative and releasing positions, the cable-controlling assembly being constructed and arranged in surrounding relation to the cable end portion to prevent the buckling of the flexible cable portion under compression during the resiliently biased return of the releasing assembly.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.